Part of
The Intricacy of LanguagesEdited by Francesc Feliu and Olga Fullana
[IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature 20] 2019
► pp. 189–204
In this work, we aim to understand the construction of the standard variety of the Biscayan dialect developed in the 19th century. After a sort overview of Basque literature and of the peninsular Holy Oratory, we will defend the hypothesis that in this literary variety the aptitude of the 17th century preachers was one of the main conditions that yielded the grammatization of the language. In order to prove this hypothesis, we provide historical data as well as the linguistic features of the sermon collection known as Dotrinazko Sermoitegia, the work of a modest preacher immerse in a period that was crucial in the grammatization of the Biscayan dialect.
Article language: Spanish